Piano Player’s Night
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1976Production year
1976Premiere
27 May 1977Runtime
83 minDirector
Jindřich PolákCategory
filmGenre
drama, crimeTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Noc klavíristyCzech title
Noc klavíristyEnglish title
Piano Player’s NightWorking title
Případ klavíristy / SvítaloSummary
When intensively working on the famous TV series Pan Tau (Tau, 1969–1978), director Jindřich Polák had little time for feature films, the notable exceptions being the sci-fi comedy Zítra vstanu a opařím se čajem (I’ll Get Up and Scald Myself with Tea Tomorrow, 1977), and the crime drama Noc klavíristy (Piano Player’s Night, 1976). Written by Polák and Vojtěch Měšťan, it stars Václav Voska in one of his many great dramatic roles. The seasoned actor plays a bar pianist and amateur sleuth, who tries to find the murderer of a young man. His quiet, dogged determination helps him to find the perpetrator – a wealthy architect who has landed himself in trouble for accepting bribes and illegally trading in flats... Otakar Brousek plays the confident, immoral adversary who does not stop at murder to cover his tracks.
Synopsis
Senior project engineer Kratina is known to be a very capable man. His colleagues have a feeling that his dealings may not always be legal but since they all profit from the bribes, they back Kratina. Kratina's machinations with loft flats and small family houses provide a high living standard for him and his young wife Ivanka. But then Kratina's frauds are uncovered by a man who blackmails the engineer over the phone and asks for money in exchange for keeping silent about what he knows. In the evening, Kratina deposits the bribe money following the blackmailer's instructions, and then hides in his car parked not far from there, waiting with a rifle in his hand. Instead of the blackmailer, he shoots Jirka, the young son-in-law of the cloakroom woman Helena from the near-by wine bar. The first to run to the victim is the wine-bar piano player Tůma. But he doesn't see the killer. Tůma cannot understand the murder and begins his own private investigation. In his conversations with people, however, he is met with indifference. Nonetheless, he succeeds in discovering several suspicious facts. He tells the police investigator Kalous about these and unwittingly helps Kratina discover who it is that has blackmailed him - the decorator Šulc from his firm. Kratina invites Šulc for a ride in his car, and offers him a rise and a share of the profits. Šulc agrees. But at a turning the engineer knocks the man unconscious, pulls the wheel and the car ends up in a pond. Kratina swims out but even this second murder doesn't save him. His crime is exposed. In the empty wine bar Tůma plays slow tunes while the unhappy cloakroom woman listens.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Václav Voska
klavírista Antonín J. Tůma
Otakar Brousek
Ing. Kratina, vedoucí projektant Domova
Jan Kanyza
tapetář Šulc
Dana Medřická
šatnářka Helena Mráčková
Stanislava Bartošová
sekretářka Eva, Šulcova přítelkyně
Jana Švandová
Ivanka, Kratinova žena
Julie Jurištová
Jana
Jiří Bartoška
Bob, Janin chlapec
Jiří Pleskot
Bárta, ředitel družstva Dřevina
Alois Švehlík
kriminalista Kalous
František Řehák
Janin otec
Jan Teplý
mistr Kříž
Karel Augusta
instalatér Císař zvaný Bidetka
Vlastimil Bedrna
kuchař Víšek
Marie Málková
barmanka Víšková
Jaroslav Drbohlav
Jirka Fousek, zeť Mráčkové
Jiří Kodet
vrchní
Jindra Kvardová
Šulcova matka
Eduard Dubský
vedoucí vinárny
Jiří Lábus
fotbalista Josef Matějíček
Hana Čížková
Milena, Matějíčkova dívka
Radúz Chmelík
Čečetka, pracovník družstva Domov
Otto Budín
Šrubař
Hana Kavalírová
Šrubařova žena
Antonín Hardt
muž myjící auto na dvoře
Jaroslav Mareš
zedník Pokorný
Jiří Havel
kriminalista Mareš
Jan Kuželka
zedník Rýdl
Miroslav Krejča
zedník Drábek
Karel Koloušek
zedník Jirsa
Jiří Žák
zedník
Zdeňka Rosolová
Janina matka
Antonín Stockinger
srandista František Dostál
Václav Syřiště
řidič dodávky/dubl za Jana Kanyzu
Jiří Zahajský
lékař
Zdeněk Dušek
muž s gramodeskami
Jan Waldmann
muž se džbánem
Stanislav Winter
úředník
Jan Vild
Janin soused
Jiří Blažka
muž s foxteriérem
Jiří Forst
příslušník VB
Jaroslav Toť
příslušník VB
Antonín Filípek
potápěč
Václav Hladík
skladník
Jiří Hasil
předseda
Rudolf Horák
náčelník kriminálky
Bohuslav Ličman
kriminalista Bouček
Miroslav Rous
technik
Jana Sodomková
servírka
Libuše Vojáčková
servírka
Žofie Veselá
pokladní
František Hruška
vrátný
J. Ksandr
fotograf
Zdeněk Sedláček
učedník
Milan Štrich
mladík z vinárny
Zita Kabátová
host ve vinárně
V. Kolátor
host ve vinárně
E. Sýkora
host ve vinárně
Dana Kusá
host ve vinárně
Marta Kaňovská
host ve vinárně
M. Sýkorová
host ve vinárně
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Vladimír Mácha, Rudolf Příhoda, Vladimír Slepička
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Cooperation
Jitka Radová (klapka), Jindřich Panáček (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Songs
Ó Rose Marie
Song Composer Rudolf Friml
Singer Jan Kuželka
Růžová krinolína
Song Composer František Svojík
Production info
Original Title
Noc klavíristy
Czech Title
Noc klavíristy
English Title
Piano Player’s Night
Working Title
Případ klavíristy / Svítalo
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama, crime
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1976
Production Year
1976
Production specifications
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986
Premiere
premiere 27 May 1977 /suitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
83 min
Original length in metres
2 356 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
